A.I.R News

Ductless Heating and Cooling Systems can be used in many applications in your home or business. Ductless HVAC systems are also know as a mini-split systems. Why, because part of the system is mounted or installed indoors and part of the system is installed outdoors. As you may see by the attached pictures, the foot print or space needed for the ductless or mini-split systems is minimal. With the ductless systems the energy efficiency ratings are very high and the noise levels are very low! And in most cases were duct work piping can not be installed, a ductless system can be utilized.

If you are in the need for heating and cooling a bonus room, add-on room, office, shop building, work-out area, sun room or any area that needs to be comfortable consider a ductless mini-split system.

10-year part warranties are available for most models and brands.

Call A.I.R. Plus today at 405-618-2AIR if you would like a free quote or estimate for installing a new ductless system today. Or visist our website at airokc.com for more information.

Heat Pumps must be able to transfer heat through the outdoor coil via air flow across the coil. If the coils are dirty or clogged up with dust and debris it cannot produce heat or operate correctly. If you see abnormal frost and or ice build-up on the outdoor unit – heat pump for a prolonged period of time you may have a service issue that needs to be addressed immediately. (See the attached photo for an example.)

If the frosting condition persist it will shorten the life of your heat pump, consume more energy to heat your home or business and produce or cause comfort issues to be present.

So call or text today for some comfortable warm air and peace of mind if you have concerns about your heat pump – (405)618-2AIR or visit airokc.com

WHAT DOES AFUE STAND FOR?

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency

HOW IS AFUE MEASURED?

AFUE measures a gas furnace’s efficiency in converting fuel to energy. A furnace that has an 80 percent AFUE rating can turn 80 percent of the energy it consumes into heat. The other 20 percent is used during the heating process.

WHAT IS A GOOD AFUE?

A higher AFUE rating means greater energy efficiency. The minimum standard AFUE for new furnaces is 78 percent. A mid-efficiency furnace usually has an AFUE rating between 80 and 85 percent, while a high-efficiency unit has a rating between 90 and 97 percent.

Now that you know what A.F.U.E. means and you want to check out getting some rebates for replacing your existing heating equipment, ask yourself the following questions:

How can I receive a rebate for switching your current gas furnace to a higher efficiency gas furnace?

How can I receive a rebate for switching from electric heat to natural gas heat?

And if you have further questions and or would like a free estimate to determine whether you qualify for a natural gas rebate, call 405-618-2AIR or click on the free estimate button on our home page. We would love to set-up a time to review your heating options!

Gas or Propane furnaces contain heat exchangers that produce heat when the gas or propane is burned or combusted. The combusted or by products of the fuel being utilized in the furnace produces fumes that should be vented to the outdoors. As the heat exchangers wear and rust from use, they become susiptible to holes. Holes are bad!

In the attached picture you can see the rusted metal that has fallen off into the heat exchanger baffles. The rusted metal produces holes in the heat exchanger that can allow dangerous carbon monoxide poison to enter the heated air that enters a home or business.

What can cause a indoor furnace or air handler to make abnormal noises?

Here is an actual list of obstacles or issues I have found inside systems, blower compartments and duct work:

Dead mouse stuck in a blower wheel!

Blower Wheel is actually coming apart at the frame – makes a metal to metal grinding sound – too many dirty air filters over the years!

Bad Heat Exchanger in a gas furnace – flame is rolling out of the furnace as the furnace ignites makes a popping noise every time the furnace cycles on- very dangerous!

Mylar Balloon sucked into the top of a furnace!

Roll of duct tape – been there 17 years!

Toys – balls, boats, airplanes, etc.

Instruction or paper information sheets from equipment or duct work – been there for years!

Partial frames from old air filters!

Construction debris from when the home was built! 40+ years ago!

Beer Cans, bottles – small and large!

Water leaking from an underground water pipe or sewer pipe!

Loose insulation from the equipment or from the duct work sucked up into the system!

Abnormal Operating Dirt, Dust and Debris!

Plenum or Duct has come loose and making high velocity air sound! (See attached picture.)

Huge gap in the duct plenum on this furnace is making a loud noise, but also losing heated and cooled air into the attic. Causing noise and comfort issues, not mention the lost money in wasted energy cost.

If you need help with abnormal furnace, air handler, air conditioning noises call A.I.R. today at 405-618-2AIR or 405-421-5191. Or go to our website at airokc.com and schedule an appointment online.

Please have the noise checked out, you never know what is in your heating or cooling system unless you look or have someone look!

(We look for sound issues or any potential issues of any kind on every heating or cooling semi-annual service appointment. )

An air-conditioner will not work properly if the outdoor unit condenser coil looks like this! And it will make a lot of unusual noises!

The outdoor air conditioning unit is getting louder and louder! What causes it to get so loud?

Many things can make the cooling unit louder, but the most common is lack of service. Cleaning, adjusting and checking the operation is a must to keep the noise down and the comfort up!

Cleaning – the air conditioner condensing coil is the first thing that must be looked at. As the dirt and debris build-up on the coil, it will cause air flow issues, so the condenser fan labors to pull the air through the coil. The labor is loud! Or louder than normal and a cleaning must be performed to eliminate or lessen the noise. (The cooling unit in the picture above had to be completely disassembled to clean, flushing it with a water hose will not work to clean it!)

Adjusting – the system charge, voltage irregularities and unwanted foreign objects can be a source. All the air conditioning parameters must be set to the manufacturers specifications or the unit will be louder than normal.

Checking – the indoor unit must be working properly or the outdoor unit will not sound correct as well. Proper air flow across the indoor evaporator coil can cause the outdoor cooling unit compressor to make unusual noises due to over heating or in some cases getting to cold and freezing up.

The overall installed cost is a good question! The answer is, it depends!

Every year after 2006 the price has consistently gone up and down. Mostly up! Without reason at times, but it fluctuates, down for while, but back up shortly thereafter. The most used reasons are, EPA, demand, production cost, reclamation cost, seasonal demand, etc. But what is for sure the cost will continue you to go up every year until no one wants or needs it anymore.

Production of R22 totally stops in 2019/2020 and only reclaimed/recycled R22 refrigerant will be available in the future.

So, what is a good, reasonable price? It depends!

Right now I’ve heard $80 a lb. to $175 a lb. We try to stay on the low side of the price range to be fair and we do that by buying the R22 refrigerant in the off season. $80 a lb. is what A.I.R. charges for R22 installed plus labor, at this time. That will probably go up in the near future as the wholesale price goes up, sorry!

What are your options? Alternative refrigerants like R422, R421A, M099, NU22, etc. They usually cost half the price installed. But, they drop the capacity of the equipment and lower the overall cooling performance, especially above 90*F and in heat pumps. But, it is an option.

The other option is to change out, buy new cooling equipment. Which can be expensive, but maybe necessary. Why? Because the cost of charging and or repairing the old system may not be cost effective long term. Especially if the leak in the system is not found and repaired. Thousands of dollars, versus hundreds of dollars sounds better, but long term what will the overall cost be?

It depends! On you, your budget, your long term goals for your home or business, or the going rate for R22 refrigerant installed.

The choice is yours! Just make sure you discuss all your options before you spend a lot of money charging an old system. And please consider repairing the leak before you have it charged.

If you need help with your cooling system, R22 refrigerant prices or with any of your heating and cooling equipment, please call 405-618-2247 or 405-421-5191 and let A.I.R. Plus help you out. We provide free phone quotes on repairs and free on-site quotes or estimates for new equipment.

Ever conducted a search online for A/C Repair or for Heating and Cooling Services and find all the ad’s pop up first and then the local listings. Those companies ad’s that pop up first may be 20 or 30 miles away from your location and take additional time to get you when in need of a quick repair or resolution. And they may not really contribute to the local economy or community.

That’s why we here at A.I.R. Plus Inc. keep our service radius to 8 miles or less from our home base shops. This allows us the ability to respond quicker and to serve those in the immediate vicinity quicker and easier. Which makes for better business and more importantly better relationships with our customers and our communities.

As a Christ Centered business we are happy to see a publisher like Integrity Publishing Solutions put together an advertising vehicle that connects “Christians with Christian Businesses”.

The following information was taken from the Christian Business Phone Book website:

Why should I use the Christian Business Phone Book instead of the “generic” yellow pages?

As Christians, we should all support other Christian businesses. Galatians 6:10 teaches us that “Whenever possible do good to all people, but especially to those in the family of believers.” Bottom line….dollars spent with a Christian based business goes back to serving the Lord through tithes, offerings, missions, etc.

All we can say is, Amen!

Christians supporting Christians is not a new value, but an original value to all believers.

What do you do if an air-conditioning contractor tells you that you need a new piece of heating and cooling equipment? Ask for proof? Agree immediately? Prepare to borrow money? Freak out! Become depressed! Or do you take control!

What I mean by take control is for you to give thought to a second opinion, most HVAC – Heating and Cooling contractors will give you a free second opinion or at least a free estimate to replace and or repair the equipment. So do your homework, gather as much information as you can before making a final decision. And whatever you do, do not make a decision based on the fact you do not have heating and cooling immediately, unless you need heating and cooling immediately!

Immediately means, you have health care issues for elderly individuals or young children that have no place to go, potential frozen sprinkler systems and or water pipes present that will do great damage, or you run a business with employees or customers that depend on the heating and cooling to be in place – or you lose money! But, you ultimately define immediate need. (A.I.R. supplies temporary cooling and heating in these severe needs, if possible, at no cost to you.)

A hotel room that cost $80 to $120 a night can save you thousands if you take a deep breath and do some research. Get 2 to 3 estimates before you make a final decision. Look at financing options as well, most HVAC contractors will have financing available, but it might not be the financing you can afford. Shop around, terms and interest rates, early payoff penalties and overall cost should be looked at in depth, just don’t take the first financing offer you are presented with.

As for repairs, call around, ask the contractors or their sales people if they give free second opinions. If you already have the problem diagnosed, then do some price checking. You might be surprised at the varied cost with some the heating and cooling contractors in your area. Repairing your heating and cooling equipment might be the right thing to do, however, it might be throwing money away on a piece of equipment that is worn out and used up. $300 today, $500 in the fall, $600 next summer, the investment in repairs may be a bad one. But, you must make the final decision, do not allow your contractor to make the decision.

So if you need AIR, Call 406-618-2AIR for a free estimate or second opinion on replacing or repairing your heating and cooling equipment. Let us save you some money and protect your comfort!

A.I.R. Service Benefits Include:
> 10% Discount on all labor
> $25.00 Off any part order
over $100.00
> Priority Customer Status
for scheduling
> Free Estimates for
Equipment Replacement
> Lifetime Warranty on all
Duct System Work
> Free e-mail alerts and reminder
calls for seasonal service